Prior to 1988 Ida Hurley was working as a secretary/bookkeeper for famers from a small office. She had the idea that her clients could enjoy a more stable, prosperous lifestyle if they would only change the way they marketed their crops and livestock. The idea took root and in 1988 Ida and Dennis Hurley set up the company that stands today.

Twenty five years later, some of those same farmers and families still work with the flagship office in Charleston, MO, but the company now serves 16 different states and has over 50 employees and associates. Today Hurley & Associates provides crop marketing and risk management services to around 1,800 clients across the Corn Belt and into Canada.

"Sure, we provide great service to our clients," Ida says today. "But the key has always been loyalty between us and them, and that has been a two-way street."

Ida is now retired from daily activity with the company and a second generation now leads the business. Son, Trent, is CEO and brother, David, is president. While both sons have college degrees, "Our real education was growing up around the business at the kitchen table," explains Trent. "We were always included as members in the business and that gave us great advantage in learning the business."

"We've made it our mission to help farmers manage all aspects of their operations - production, finances, and marketing - as efficiently as possible," Trent says. "We take that approach for two reasons: first, to best serve our clients, and second, to help preserve their very distinctive agricultural lifestyle."

"Our customer is not always the biggest guy, nor necessarily the smallest," he continues. "They are the farmers who understand they have a commodity risk and want to do something about it. A lot of companies get caught up in chasing the super-large producers. We help those who recognize risk and want to take proactive steps to manage it."

"A great deal of our success comes from the fact that we take the time to get to know our clients as people, as well as farmers," David adds.

"It's been a wonderful 25-year journey," Ida says. "And with the staff that we have and the commitments they have made to serving farmers, we look forward to a long future of working with more and more clients to help them grow their businesses."

The one-room office has long since been replaced but the corporate mission that was developed years ago is poised and ready for another 25 years.